Airline food can be hit or miss nowadays. And with sky high prices (pun intended), making a good choice is necessary. Here to help are the top foods on 9 major airlines chosen by the professionals that also know the airplane as their office.
United Airlines Thai tilapia fillet with shrimp
“I think the Thai-style fillet of tilapia with shrimp is the best thing we serve. It’s good for a late evening meal because it’s not too heavy. You want something light on a later flight.” – Sondra Dickens, flight attendant
Virgin America bibimbap
“With our latest menu update, it’s hard to choose a favorite dish, but our Korean vegetarian rice bibimbap is definitely high on my list with its big, bold flavors. The bibimbap is a hot bowl of fresh vegetables marinated in ginger, garlic, red chili, lemongrass, and coconut milk served on hot steamed rice and finished with a Korean red chili BBQ sauce and a soft-poached egg.” – Mariella Guadarrama, inflight team leader
JetBlue sea scallops
“When customers on the plane hear we have seafood options, they are generally leery. But in our Mint Experience we offered a hot sea scallop entree with a blackberry Sauternes sauce and foie gras mousse and it was to die for. JetBlue truly brought the freshest seafood I’ve had on a plane.” – John Stripling, inflight onboard lead
American Airlines four-cheese pasta
“My favorite food we serve, and a definite favorite of our customers, is the four-cheese pasta with a cream sauce. It’s served in the main cabin on flights to and from South America. This pasta stays moist even in the ultra-dry air of the cabins, and it’s creamy and delicious.” – Scott Bowie, international flight attendant
Southwest Airlines Ritz Cheese Crackers
“I always like it when honey-roasted peanuts are back onboard, which happens in January every few years — and this is our year. But after 19 years of flying, I’m peanutted out. On longer flights we offer free snacks such as 100-Calorie Lorna Doones, 100-Calorie Ritz Snack Mix, and Ritz Cheese Crackers. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but you can’t go wrong with cheese crackers.” – Troy Ford, flight attendant
Delta Airlines chicken pot pie and quinoa wraps
“Traveling for a living presents a constant quest for comfort food and healthy food options. Chef Hopkins’ chicken pot pie and the Luvo quinoa wraps are delicious and meet both criteria when I’m flying.” – Julie Pearson, flight attendant
Hawaiian Airlines Loco Moco
“I’ve been a flight attendant with Hawaiian Airlines for nearly 17 years. My favorite dish is our famous Loco Moco, featuring a hamburger patty topped with a sunny side-up egg smothered in gravy, all over hot white rice. Everyone who has been to Hawaii has tried the Loco Moco at least once because it’s truly an island favorite and one of the most popular dishes in Hawaii. As a destination carrier, we are proud to be able to offer island-inspired meals like the Loco Moco on our planes because it’s one of many ways we entice our guests with the sights, sounds, and tastes of Hawaii from the moment they board our aircraft.” – Mapuana Faulkner, flight attendant
Air Canada falafel wrap
“I settle for a healthy option. From the Air Canada Café menu, I go for the falafel wrap — you get a whole-wheat wrap packed with falafel, red peppers, baby spinach, tzatziki, and red onions. On the side, I grab some fresh hummus and pretzels as well as some Vitamin Water. I never have that heavy-food feeling at the end.” – George Dias, onboard sales resource, service director, and inflight safety and service
Allegiant Air Wingz Kids Snack Pack
“My favorite menu item Allegiant offers is the Wingz Kids Snack Pack. I love the Oreos and Jelly Jets, plus $1 from every pack sold goes directly to Make-A-Wish!” – Kathleen W., flight attendant This article originally appeared on thrillest.com
What’s the best airline food you’ve had? Let us know here or @gosirvo.
‘Opie with Jim Norton’ recently treated us to an hour of uninterrupted, unfiltered Anthony Bourdain when they had the sarcastic chef on their show. There’s a ton of great stuff in the interview, from Bourdain’s nuanced opinions on Beirut to his less nuanced opinions on chain restaurants. We pulled out seven of the wildest or most interesting findings in case you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing — but if you do, it’s available right here.
His wife is hardcore. Whereas Bourdain is known for his verbal beatdowns, it sounds like his wife Ottavia could beat you down with her fists. She’s a competitive mixed martial arts fighter who sometimes trains for six hours a day, and apparently sticks to a diet of almost all meat. Bourdain told an especially great story about his friend staring in amazement/horror as Ottavia ordered a filet mignon as an appetizer and then a porterhouse for her entree at dinner.He also has a thing for Iranian women. When the guys got around to asking Bourdain the real, hard-hitting questions (“Which Middle Eastern country has the hottest women?”), their guest had a lot of nice things to say about the ladies of Iran. He called them beautiful, fierce, and confident — and not afraid to tell you their opinion.
He has strong feelings on shark meat. While discussing Iceland with a caller, Bourdain first suggested he try hákarl, or fermented shark. But then he backpedaled. Hard. In Tony’s own (extremely indelicate) words, “I’m going to guess that if I were to dig my dead Grandma up and eat her ass — that’s what it tastes like.”
He hates comped meals. Obviously Bourdain has people begging him to come to their restaurants all the time, but he really would like you all to stop offering him free food. It makes him feel uncomfortable and he’d “much rather eat at a place where they don’t give a f*** who [he is].” Make sure to treat him with appropriate scorn the next time he swings by your establishment.
He’s had “hazardous environment” training. Since he spends a lot of his time traveling to exotic places that aren’t always the safest, Bourdain has security advisers in tow when he’s walking the streets of a sketchy neighborhood. But just to make sure he’s extra prepared, Bourdain’s advisers sent him to “hazardous environment” training in the woods of Virginia, where he learned basic triage and chest wound care, how to get through roadblocks without pissing off the wrong people, and at least one flying kick move, presumably.
He enjoys sheep balls. TMZ miserably failed to rile Bourdain up one evening when he was out to dinner with Mario Batali. A cameraman asked the guys which balls they prefer, hoping their masculinities were so fragile they’d take a swing. But instead they had a lengthy discussion about the merits of different animal genitals. Bourdain endorses sheep balls for their texture and flavor, though he also thinks chicken balls are on point.
He thinks the best cheesesteak is in Jersey. For Bourdain, it’s all about the Camden spot Donkey’s. He insists it’s got the best cheesesteak anywhere, so hopefully he’s already increased his security detail to handle the mobs from Philly heading his way.
This article was originally published on Thrillest.com
Share your favorite Anthony Bourdain tidbits here, or @gosirvo!
Americans may not have the most pristine reputation when it comes to eating healthily, but that may soon change as consumers are increasingly basing what to eat on healthfulness. As the demand for healthy food rises in and out of the home, the restaurant industry must adapt to fit the times.
Healthy Habits on the Rise
According to the 2014 Food & Health Survey published by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), healthfullness is the third leading driver of food and beverage selection, influencing 71 percent of consumers. And this shift towards better nutrition is not passive at all as the same survey concluded that at least three out of five Americans spend some time planning each of their meals.This healthfulness movement does not only apply to what is being eaten within the household, but extends to what people are looking for when choosing where to eat out. Research conducted by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) shows that nearly 75 percent of consumers are more likely to dine at restaurants offering healthful items, and when ordering, half of Americans at least sometimes use nutrition information to decide what to have.
A Few Changes
So what does this mean for the restaurant industry? It means boosting nutrition while maintaining taste. To help, Deanne Brandstetter, vice president of nutrition and wellness for the Compass Group North America, offers a few easy ways to improve the nutrition content of your menu items:
Increase produce on the plate. Fruit and vegetables have a huge water content, are low in calories, lower in sodium, and have no saturated fat in their natural state. The more produce you place on a plate, the less you need of other items. The challenge: making produce as interesting and craveable as your proteins.
Add umami with mushrooms. Mix ground mushrooms into ground animal protein to decrease calories, sodium and fat and increase fiber, selenium and Vitamin D. Let customers know about it. They’re no longer into “stealth health,” Brandstetter says. They want to know that you’re making your menu items more nutritious – and how you’re doing it.
Reduce sodium. Use salt as a “finisher,” rather than in every step of the preparation. Or, explore new salt replacements. In response to restaurant and consumer demand, food manufacturers are developing innovative, new products to reduce sodium. One example: diamond-shaped salt crystals, which are hollow inside and have more surface area than traditional salt crystals.
Improve carbohydrate quality. Use whole grains in pasta, pilaf, risotto and other dishes. Experiment with grains other than whole wheat, such as millet, quinoa and spelt. Get ideas and resources from the Whole Grains Council.
Create interesting, lower-calorie beverages. Offer house-made, healthful beverages, such as ginger water, sparkling water with fruit or tea infused with fruit or herbs. Serve juice made with fruit and vegetable purees.
Consider strategic calorie design. Create plates with a limited number of calories. For example, if you are designing a plate with no more than 600 calories, make sure every element builds flavor, satisfaction and craveability.
Rethink desserts. Instead of serving a large slice of cheesecake with a strawberry garnish, create a miniature cheesecake surrounded by strawberries. “The CIA calls it the ‘dessert flip,” Brandstetter says. Customers appreciate tiny dessert portions rather than low-calorie versions, she says.
Allow for indulgence. But on a small scale. Instead of a platter of all fried seafood, serve a few fried shrimp and many, many more grilled shrimp on skewers. “It balances it out a little bit,” she says.
How are you making strides to improve the nutrient content of your menus? Let us know here, or @gosirvo.
It’s that time of year again: the 10-day long event celebrating the Mile-High City’s vibrant culinary scene, when all of our gastro-wishes are granted. Yes, you guessed it, it’s the 11th annual Denver Restaurant Week, February 20th-March 1st, 2015! With 250 of Denver’s top restaurants offering multi-course dinners for $30 per person, it’s guaranteed to be a scrumptious, mouth-watering, succulent, bomb, fan-FREAKIN’-tastic, [insert your favorite yummylicious word here] ode to the food gods, and our stomachs, as there ever was. But choosing where to go and what to eat can be a bit overwhelming, so to give aid, we’re sharing the locales that we’re super stoked about!
Before we start, if you would like to see the full restaurant week menus for any participating restaurants including the ones we mention, click here!
To make reservations at the restaurants we mention, visit the website by clicking on the restaurant name or give them a call at the number provided.
The Gist: Offering tapas, of both the hot and cold variety, in a contemporary and sexy ambiance, The 9th Door is a great spot for date night as well as groups looking for a more social environment. Located near Coors Field in downtown Denver, it’s a great place to start a night out on the town.
Chow Down: To start, try the Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos -Fire roasted piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese and rosemary, next go with the Croquetas de Hongos -Risotto and mushroom croquette with truffle oil, mushroom sauce, and shaved manchego cheese, for the third course choose Callo de Hongos – Pan-seared sea scallops with truffled, mushroom
compote, and for dessert the Flan de Limon- Lemon-rosemary infused flan will be the perfect finale.
The Gist: For modern southeast asian cuisine with a twist, go to ChoLon, one of Denver’s most popular restaurants. Plates are meant to be shared, family style, so go with a big group to get a taste of as many of the unique flavors as you can! The atmosphere is upscale, so grab your crew and dress up.
Chow Down: Since you can choose three small bites, go with the Kaya Toast, Coconut Jam, Egg Cloud, Crispy Rice and Kale Salad, Candied Pecans, Coconut, Pomegranate, Beets, and local favorite Soup Dumplings, Sweet Onion, Gruyere (fyi, you’ll probably need to order at least 2 of the soup dumplings because they are the definition of fan-FEAKIN’-tastic!). For share plates, opt for Miso Marinated Cod, Cucumber Relish, Chinese Eggplant, accompanied by the Brussels Sprouts, Ground Pork, Kaffir Lime from the Wok. For the grand finale, Spiced Doughnuts, Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream, Condensed Milk will leave the perfect taste in your mouth.
The Gist: This sexy little lounge serving up nouveau american cuisine is situated just off of the DCPA, and is the perfect place to grab a bite before a show or end with a nightcap.
Chow Down: To start, try the Sashimi Sampler, then go with the Braised Brisket Tacos, and Lemon Goat-Cheese Cake to finish off the meal.
The Gist: If you’re craving homemade pizza and pasta, elevated, definitely go to Pizza Republica. This is a casual spot, great for hanging out with good friends and family.
Chow Down: For Il Primo, try the Lamb Meatballs, next you have to have the staple dish “9-inch Wood-Fired Pizza*, and finish off with the Salted Caramel Budino.
The Gist: Focussed on serving local and seasonal ingredients, this restaurant is the definition of farm-to-table. With an open kitchen design, simple but modern decor, and both community tables as well as individual tables, it’s a great place for all occasions.
Chow Down: For the adventurous, start with the Wild Burgundy Snails – roasted tomatoes, garlic butter, brioche or for those of us craving the more traditional, the Lyonnaise Salad – 62 degree egg, pancetta, garlic, Dijon vinaigrette. For the main, choose the Sweet Potato Gnocchi-toasted cauliflower, spinach, brown butter, sage, and finish with the Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta-peanut butter brittle, raspberry gel, cocoa nibs crumble.
An astonishing 1.3 billion tons of food, totaling nearly $1 trillion at retail prices, is wasted annually worldwide, either because it is spoiled in transit or thrown out by consumers. This global issue is not only hurting our bank accounts, but also costing us precious natural resources. So, what can be done?
Non-Trivial Trivia
How much of the U.S. energy budget is used to get food from farms to tables nationwide?
10 percent, equaling almost $3 billion in 2014, was spent on producing, harvesting, transporting, and packaging our food.
How much U.S. land and fresh water is used for providing food to consumers?
More than a third of all food produced goes uneaten, as approximately 20 percent is spoiled or ruined and 10 percent is thrown away, costing an estimated $165 billion per year.
The numbers are pretty staggering, aren’t they? And that’s just a few facts regarding short term effects, but what about long-term consequences?
Back to the Future
Much of our wasted food ends up rotting in landfills where it accounts for a considerable portion of methane emissions that contribute to global warming. Worldwide, the energy that goes into the production, harvesting, transporting, and packaging of wasted food generates more than 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas responsible for raising Earth’s temperature. In fact, if food waste was a country, it would be the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, according to the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) report ‘Food Wastage Footprint: Impacts on Natural Resources’.
As a call to action, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva stated, “We simply cannot allow one-third of all the food we produce to go to waste or be lost because of inappropriate practices, when 870 million people go hungry every day.” So, what can be done to curb the amount of food wasted?
Take ‘Initiative’
Reduction of food waste as a movement has gained speed, and as such there is now demand for food waste solutions, from consumers and corporations alike. Initiatives aimed at making it easier to avoid waste are growing in number, and in application.
Take for example CrobMobster, which enables communities in-need and local farmers, producers, and food purveyors with surpluss to connect within a food gleaning and supply-sharing platform. To date, CropMobster has helped save over 1 million pounds, more than 2 million servings, of local food from going to waste in Sonoma and Marin Counties, California.
In order to reduce waste in the home, use Fresh Paper, which is simply a piece of paper infused with organic spices that keep fruits and vegetables fresh for 2-4 times longer. Fresh paper is available at grocery store chains such as Whole Foods and Wegmans. Another handy tool for using leftover food items is Food Rescue, an app launched by Google and Sainsbury’s, a British supermarket chain, which generates recipes based on up to nine ingredients dictated by the user.
Even rotten food is now a commodity. Harvest Power takes food waste, along with leaves and yard trimmings, and through anaerobic digestion and composting, transform them into renewable energy to power homes.
Healthy Habits
It is great that there are now products available to help us waste less food, but there are also ways to do so by incorporating a few simple habits into your daily lifestyle.
Plan ahead. Before going to the grocery store, take inventory of what you already have available. If you know what you’ll be cooking, and for whom, buy only enough necessary to feed the crew. Also, take note of expiration dates when shopping so you have an idea of how long items will last.
Remember to rotate. When loading groceries into your refrigerator and pantry, use the ‘first in first out’ method. Place new items in the back, and move older or already opened foods to the front. This way, food is less likely to go unused.
Save leftovers. If you’re in the habit of tossing leftover food at the end of the meal, consider packing it up and taking it to work or school for lunch the next day, or even save it for a second dinner. This can not only reduce wasted food, but also save you a few extra dollars.
Go trayless. Many of us frequent cafeterias where trays are available for carrying food, but next time, consider going trayless. By being unable to purchase as much food at once, you can reduce the amount of food that ends up in the trash. At the end of the meal, if you’re still hungry, you can always get back in line!
Donate. If you find yourself with a surplus of food, why not donate it. Millions of people go hungry everyday, and if you can even help feed one more person, you’re making a big difference. Find out how to donate here.
With the fast paced world of today, it can be easy to forget that wasting food is easy to avoid, and that it has dire consequences as well. However, if we all make a bit of effort, we can pave the way for responsible eating, for our health, wallets, and planet.
